" will be remembered for his character, j.r. ewing. he was as charismatic as he was evil. he was one of the most colorful and villainous characters on television. j.r. ewing. >> you'll find other ways to skin a cat. >> reporter: when larry hagman took the role on, it was only supposed to last a few weeks. but "dallas" became a hit and part of television history. in his last sitdown interview with wfaa, hagman revealed -- >> i thought we would get six shows out of this and walk away and go on vacation. >> reporter: no vacation, as hagman's character, the mischievous oil tycoon and his antics made "dallas" one of the biggest hits in the '80s. and recently, hagman and his co-stars were reunited as the show was retooled for modern times. >> i hate to hit a man below the belt. but you know i will. >> reporter: he also made the cowboy hat cool to wear. hagman died last night due to complications from throat cancer. the family released a statement saying, larry's family and close friends had joined him in dallas for the thanksgiving holiday. when he passed, he was surrounded by loved ones.

hagman achieved worldwide fame playing the villainous oil baron j.r. ewing on the prime time soap "dallas." he died yesterday in dallas surrounded by family and friends and nbc's kristen dahlgren takes a look back at his life and career. >> reporter: for a time he was the most famous actor in the world, the subject of the biggest cliffhanger ever. [ gunshot ] the question, who shot j.r. catapulted larry hagman into tv history. for more than a decade hagman was the character audiences couldn't get enough of, the wicked, scheming j.r. ewing. the 81-year-old was reprising his role as j.r. in the tnt reboot of "dallas." you're not a kinder, gentler version of yourself? >> hardly. >> reporter: along with family his co-stars were at his side when hagman died in a dallas hospital friday, finally succumbing to the throat cancer he had been battling. in a statement, nbc co-star linda gray said "larry hagman was my best friend for 35 years. he was a pied piper of life and brought joy to everyone he knew. the world was a brighter place because of him." on the site of the real life south fork

j.r. >> j.r. ewing, one of the best known tv characteristics of the last 40 years. "dallas" was a long-running hit in the '70s and '80s. he came back as j.r. when the series was restarted earlier this year. you may also remember him as major tony nelson from "i dream of jeannie" his co-star barbara eden posted this on her facebook page. i had the pleasure of watching the texas tornado that was larry hagman. tick say we've lost not just a great actor, not a television icon but an element of pure americana. we'll have much more on his life and career later on in the hour. >> a gas leak blamed for an explosion at a strip club in springfield, massachusetts. look at the center screen. the blast leveled that club. 18 people were injured. it's a miracle no one was killed. 25 other buildings were damaged. our affiliate wggb says people felt that explosion up to four miles away. a city official says some of the damaged buildings will be demolished today. >>> law enforcement initials one community in alabama are mourning the loss of their colleague. following a shooting that involved two de

want to share about your member his of j.r. ewing, larry hagman, major nelson. >> send that to us. thanks for starting your morning with us. >> much more ahead on "cnn saturday morning" which starts right now. >>> good morning, everyone. i'm randi kaye. >> and i'm victor blackwell. 8:00 on the east coast and 5:00 out west. thanks for starting your day with us. starting with some sad news from the entertainment world. as we've been following this morning, the death of larry hagman. his family says at 81 years old he died of complications from cancer. >> you have dishonored my daddy's name and everything he stood for. maybe you and bobby can live with this, but i can't. >> that's the character he's best known for. the j.r. ewing character from "dallas," one of the best known tv characters of the last 30 years really. d "dallas" was a long running hit in the '70s and '80s and you may remember him as major nelson from "i dream of jean any." barbara eden said i had the pleasure of watching the texas tornado that was larry hagman. can i honestly say that we've lot not just a great actor

characters j.r. ewing on the longtime drama "dallas." a rather nasty guy that people loved to hate. before that, he played a nice guy, captain tony nelson on "i dream of jeannie." he appeared here on "today" last june, and we'll have a look back at his life and career next. >> a legend, absolutely. >>> it is the day after black friday and people were going crazy hunting for bargains, so as you do your shopping this weekend, we'll reveal some ingenious tricks retailers use to get you to spend more and more of your hard-earned cash. >>> speaking of shopping, today is small business saturday. a day for you to support the local mom and pop shops in your town. you can do it every day, of course. something very important to new york city mayor michael bloomberg, who will join us to talk about it in our next half hour. >>> then an unusual punishment for a convicted killer in oklahoma. a teenager was sentenced to spend ten years in church after pleading guilty to manslaughter. the ruling has sparked a legal dispute and we'll hear from both sides in that case. >>> a bit later, we'll switch gears wi

from cancer. he's best known for his iconic portrayal of j.r. ewing in the show "dallas." it's a role that he always called his favorite. peter fonda said goodbye to his friend on twitter, saying hagman brought so much fun to everyone's life. cnn entertainment corresponde m correspondent careen winter joins us. i understand that you are at larry hagman's star on the hollywood walk of fame. are people showing up to pay their respects? >> not yet, but you can bet that will change as the morning continues. we are right next to larry hagman's star. still quite early here, so i'm sure there are many people who are waking up just finding out about the sad news. perhaps they're still unaware. that's very popular strip in hollywood. you can bet things will pick up as the morning continues. but you mentioned some of thely in. some people absolutely stunned. for example, barbara eden, best known from "i dream of jeannie," the 1960s hit, larry hagman's co-star, she took to facebook to really detail her feelings, how she's feeling right now. she wrote "i, like many others, believed he had beat ca

television's great bad guys, j.r. ewing, you remember him on the primetime television series of "dallas." offscreen, he was known as being larger than life and his co-stars remembering him as fun, wild, and rememberable. he died yesterday of complications from cancer. colleen takes a look at his life and legacy. >> reporter: larry hagman wore many hats in his career. but his best known his stetson he wore on "dallas." despite roles on film and stage, hagman will be remembered as the villainous j.r. ewing. >> you drove cliff to attempt suicide. >> how would i know he would do a dump thing like that in. >> when he was shot by an unknown assailant, it became one of the most famous cliffhangers in tv history, watched by 300 million people from all around the world. hagman never expected the show to endure. >> i just started the show doing six shows. i never thought i would do 300. >> in fact, the dallas fran choice was so successful, the series was recently reprised. tnt brought it back with a new generation of ewings. d hagman came back, too. returning as j.r. once again. critics say he wa

newsroom. in tonight for don lemon. on television he was the man that everybody loved to hate. j.r. ewing on the hit series "there's a." larry hagman has died in a texas hospital. he 81 years old. he was battling cancer for several years. >>> investigators trying to figure out the source of a gas explosion that damaged more than 40 buildings in springfield, massachusetts. a wwwlp camera captured the moment of blast. they had evacuated some residents after receiving reports of a gas smell. >>> emergency at the u.s. state department. fire trucks raced to the department headquarters in washington shortly before noon. a flash fire as it's described in the duct work of the building forced everyone to evacuate and sent three people to hospital one in serious condition. construction workers were among the few people in the building because of the holiday weekend. >>> 38 days now before the fiscal cliff. lawmakers return to work monday trying to cut a deal. if congress and president obama fail to reach an agreement massive tax cuts and spending cuts automatically kick in january 1. anti-tax crusader

best known for playing the conniving and mischievous j.r . ewing on the long running series dallas has died. he died late this afternoon from complications of cancer. he was 81. cbs reporter alexis looks back at his career. >> stay out of my affairs pamela. >> you make me sick. >> everybody hates me. they love this character. >> love him or hate him. audiences watched seasons of him playing the infamous j.r . in dallas, j.r . cheated his family, friends and his wife while taking plenty of knocks of his own. when the who shot j.r . episode airs 83 million americans tuned in to watch. in real life heavy drinking led to a liver transplant that prolonged his life and perhaps gave him a sense of mortal hi his tv character j.r . never shared. like j.r . he was born in texas. the son of pack tres mary actress martin. >> we first new him at the astronaut from i dream of jeannie. he received no residuals for i dream of jeannie which is still in syndication. he was determined not to make the same mistake with dallas. he negotiate record negotiated like j.r . a real businessman. >> a horrifying c

, unmistakeable. and the conniving and mysterious j.r. ewing, unforgetable. he was one of the most famous stars of the era seen here. larry hagman has died at 81 years old. >> stay out of my affairs. >> you slime. you make me sick. >> oddly enough, nobody hates me. they love this character. >> justin: love him or hate him -- >>> reporter: love him or hate him, 14 seasons of playing jr ewing, the oil baron with the reptilian smile. he cheated his family, friends, and wife while taking plenty of knocks on his own. when the "who shot jr "episode aired, millions tuned in to watch. like jr, hagman was born in texas, the son of actress mary martin. >> the meaner he gets on television, the nicer he is at home. >> reporter: indeed, he didn't always play a bad guy. we first knew him as harry, in i dream of genie. hagman received no residuals for i dream of genie which is still in syndication. he was determined not to make the same mistake with dallas and negotiated rerun compensation packages. like j.r. a real business man. >> the actress who played his wife sue ellen in the series released a stat

second bout with cancer. he played captain tony nelson on i dream of jeannie, but he played j.r. ewing in the long running series, dallas. he was filming season two on a new edition when he passed away. >>> just in after fighting for his for four days, hector macho ka macho died. his mother made the decision to take him off life support yesterday, but asked the doctor to leave him until his sons arrived in puerto rico to say goodbye. a friend shot he and a friend outside a liquor store. his friend was killed in the shooting. no arrests have been made. much more ahead coming up. a sign that christmas is just around the corner. the tree lighting going up in ghirardeli square in san francisco. >> here's a look at the morning as we look out across the bay. hazy skies and patchy fog inland, but very nice temperatures for the afternoon. the full saturday forecast is ahead when we come back. we . >> good morning, everyone. a quarter past 7:00 and hope you are having a terrific thanksgiving holiday long weekend. a live look out at the san francisco bay. if you are not a big fan of crowds and chao

, j.r. ewing in the hit show "dallas." >>> egypt, growing protests after the new islamist president, mohamed morsi, gave himself virtually unlimit power until the country drafts a new constitution. his opponents calling the move extreme and they warn of growing turmoil and military intervention if the power grab is not withdrawn. >>> and the fragile cease-fire between israel and hamas appears to be holding. some border restrictions in gaza being eased but the threat, a top hamas leader saying the ruling militant group will continue to arm itself despite an israeli border blockade. connor powell has the latest from jerusalem. >> reporter: harris, just three days ago, it appeared that israel and hamas were on the brink of a full-on war but the cease-fire is holding and there are encouraging signs life is returning to normal, here in the holy land. israeli children returned to school yesterday, and now, markets and shops are reopening now that the threat of rockets has ended and today, palestinian children in gaza also returned to school. as the cleanup there begins. no doubt there are

. larry hagman. he played the baddest bad guy on tv, j.r. ewing. who else could have possibly delivered lines like these. >> revenge is never stupid, darling, it's the single best feeling in the world. a man has to learn to keep his tomatoes on top. >> larry was a brilliant actor beneath the sinister smirk. died on friday in a dallas hospital with his co-stars and best friends, linda gray and patrick duffy by his side. i talked to them in june. listen to what larry told me about playing j.r. do you like being, for what you were, the most evil man on television? >> well, you know, i don't think i was an evil man, i was just like a texas businessman, that's all. >> yeah, evil. >> they keep bringing that up. >> i'm just doing what people do for business. >> you can't start distancing yourself from being evil. j.r. was wonderfully evil. constantly scheming and plotting, even against his own family. that's evil. did you like the reputation in. >> of course i do, i

of fans span the globe. now the producers are working to give hagman's character, j.r. ewing, a record sendoff. find out how the korean pop star out-steps justin bieber [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ] [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it... in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. great taste. mmm... [ male announcer ] sounds good. it's amazing what soup can do. starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. i have obligations. cute tobligations, but obligatio.ing. i need to rethink the core of my portfolio. what i really need is sleep. introducing the ishares core, building blocks for the heart of your portfolio. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes

portrayal of j.r. ewing on the prime-time soap "dallas." larry hagman died friday after a battle with throat cancer. >>> possible new wrinkle in the fiscal cliff talks. both sides are going to be able to iron that out before we wring in 2013. we're hoping, right? we'll talk about that, it's next. plus the lessons that can be learned from the new film "lincoln." we're going to talk to the woman who wrote the book on it. if you think you missed out on black friday prices at the home depot, think again. black friday prices are still here. instore and online, right now. where prices have been cut, chopped, and sanded... ...on the most powerful tools that cut... ...chop... ...and sand. so we, or somebody on our list, can do the same. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get a special buy on a ryobi 2 piece lithium ion kit for just $99. ♪ you make me happy [ female announcer ] choose the same brand your mom trusted for you. children's tylenol, the #1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade. [ male announcer ]

. >> legend. >> hagman best known for his role of course as the villain j.r. ewing on his star with dallas. lost his battle with cancer dallas hospital. linda gray had this to say on the star's passing. larry hagman was my best friend for 35 years. he brought joy to everyone he knew. i will miss him enor muresly. >> she was at his side. >> he he was apparently surrounded by family and friends. >> hagman was the son of mary martin. he was also known for his role as major tony nelson in i dream of jeanne, of course, he was 81 years old. >> he never became hollywood. larry hagman remained dallas. he was from fort worth and he always will stand for dallas. what a legend. love that guy. >> check in with rick reichmuth and see what our weekend first alert forecast looks like. >> looking good. you worry about thanksgiving weekend for travelers getting home and maybe another storm at the end of it we made through the entire thing scot-free. it's cold. 13 degrees in minneapolis. the tenks have dropped off from where you were on wednesday. aside from that, no big storms. cold front eastern se

a dallas hospital after battling complications from cancer. his j.r. ewing course, of the tomorrow villain oil man on the long- running abc tv show and dallas was only part of his acting repertoire. but it guaranteed his legend in tv history. a season finale cliff hanger in the 1980 called who shot j.r. was fuelled by 350 million people in 57 countries. that actor was up more noble enough that hagman recently used his j.r. role on the new version of dallas. he was also on the '60s popular tv series i dream of jeannie and acted on broadway. hagman, the son of broadway actress mary martin was 81 years old. >> it did get crowded roughly 11,000 people have been in line. this was up from $9 and led a share a lot of the black friday wrapped up at dawn. there was drama at a victoria's secret store where people jammed in the doorway waiting for the store to open. off some of them were pushing and shoving. the door man pleaded for them to stay, and that she would not open the door to this simmer down. employees stated that the waffle iron cause riots. this mall the michigan a fight broke ou

respects and to remember the man who was more than just tv's j.r. ewing. >> he was also very giving, particularly to the underprivileged youth in the community. he had several different programs he helped with, particularly children in the arts and education. >> we thought he was appropriate to come here and pay our respects. we grow up and remember the show. we showed j.r. and all that. >> it's sad. it's really sad. don't make me cry. >> well, you know the christmas song "harp the herald angels sing?" it could be completely wrong. at least according to the pope's new book. wait until you hear what else he says is wrong about christmas. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day presc

tony nelson. probably best known for texas man j.r. ewing in dallas. he was filming a show. he was 81. well, in miami, you know the afternoon shower happens. they happen during football games. but this weekend it was a beautiful day in miami. yet the players were all wet. sprinklers came on during the game. it was weird. hang on. [ male announcer ] when was the last time something made your jaw drop? campbell's has 24 new soups that will make it drop over, and over again. ♪ from jammin' jerk chicken, to creamy gouda bisque. see what's new from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can be in the scene. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase

. ewing, larry hagman being remembered today. >> hi, there j.r. >> how are you self, honey. >> yeah. >> you think i am like sue ellen most people don't. >> there is a resemblance. ♪ [ male announcer ] it started long ago. the joy of giving something everything you've got. it takes passion. and it's not letting up anytime soon. at unitedhealthcare insurance company, we understand that commitment. and always have. so does aarp, an organization serving the needs of americans 50 and over for generations. so it's no surprise millions have chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they help cover some of the expenses medicare doesn't pay. and save you up to thousands in out-of-pocket costs. to find out more, request your free decision guide. call or go online today. after all, when you're going the distance, it's nice to have the experience and commitment to go along with you. keep dreaming. keep doing. go long. i wish i could keep it this way. [ male announcer ] now you can. with th

battle against cancer but the woman who played j.r. ewing's niece will be here to talk about what it was like to work with him. >> foot the bill of obama care in the form of a huge surcharge. if the government punishing tobacco users? we debate that coming up. the rh. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it... in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. great taste. mmm... [ male announcer ] sounds good. it's amazing what soup can do. time for cii price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. buy now. save later. >> fans interest flocking to - fans are flocking to pay tribute to rhagman best known for playig j.r. ewing in the popular prime time show "dal

j.r. ewing and he was a texas native. he died on friday surrounded by his family. >>> crime is up in neighborhoods hit hardest by superstorm sandy. burglaries have spiked and rockaways in long island averaged two burblies a -- burglaries a day. there was one reported in a week's time last year. >>> they became instant santas this weekend. they recovered $2 million in toys and other goods stolen from a canadian salvation army. they found the items in a commercial warehouse in northwest toronto. there was so much stuff, they needed three big rigs to haul away the merchandise. in toronto, they have been fired over the incident and no criminal charges have been fired. >> they are asking drivers to fill the boot. > >> thank you. >> happy holidays. >>> firefighters collected donations from drivers yesterday on the expressway. it is all part of the campaign for the san jose firefighter burn foundation. >> we do an annual kid's burn camp so kids with visible burn scars can be with kids just like them and they don't have to worry about being teased. >> the fill the boot campaign runs lieu the